A native of Chicago, his father was a cop on the South Side; Richard Steinmetz graduated from high school in Seattle, Washington and played pro-soccer for the Portland Timbers. The acting bug bit him and he left for San Francisco and then New York, where he worked on stage for nearly ten years.

Steinmetz has a long list of theater credits both in New York and Los Angeles and is well recognized for his role as Jeff Hartman on Loving and Jimmy Stanley on Melrose Place. His feature film credits include The One with Jet Li, Crazy Beautiful, and S.W.A.T. He has guest-starred on the television series Crossing Jordan, Law and Order, The Commish, War Stories, and Sports Night.

In addition to acting, Steinmetz coaches high school football. His team, the Venice Gondoliers, made it to the City Championships last year where they played in front of 40,000 people. Steinmetz is single, resides in Los Angeles and is the foster father of two sons, Trevor and Troy. His birthday is February 16.